2006 Cadillac STS V | Retro Review

[@2dfx]

Those of you spouting the usual "Northstar bad" nonsense forget that the Northstar head gasket issues had already been solved by this point. Specifically, halfway through the 2003 model year. This version was RWD adapted. It's a very reliable engine.

[@micarguy8239]

I’ve been waiting for this for SO long, thank you! I’ve been an STS-V owner for several years, but an admirer of them since their launch in ‘06. Cadillac got so much right with this car and with the entire V-Series line, which brought a much younger owner base into the fold. I have loved (the fast) Cadillacs ever since.

[@Darylrb1983]

Anything I should look for when purchasing one?

[@jameswhite1319]

@@Darylrb1983 yea none Northstar engine they are bad

[@Jag-leaper]

Have you had to do the heads on your northstar?

[@jst7714]

If you told a Cadillac owner or dealer in the 80s, that the final stop for the bustle back Seville nameplate was this supercharged car - they would never believe you.

[@691jfreeman]

The final and best evolution of the Seville STS. One of my favorite cars!

[@dennisglodoski6365]

I agree with you

[@prosto_potomuwto]

It's good except for the center of gravity. XLR fixes that. Then you're left with the feeling of cheapness of it.

[@hellkitty1014]

The STS-V was a supremely under-appreciated car. The only problem with it: The E55 and M5 were also $80K at the time. But the car was outstanding in performance. But GMs answer on the 2nd-gen CTS-V was a very high water mark. Insane power, good looks, and a Tremec 6060 6spd! Oh the wagon is still the Holy Grail!

[@kevin9c1]

I had a V1 and did look at the STS-V (which, ironically, is what the previous owner of my CTS-V bought to replace it). However, you'll never guess what I actually bought to replace my CTS-V. Ok I'll tell you - 04 E55. For considerably less than a nice STS-V and overall a better choice for me at the time. I did like the STS-V though.

[@RADGarage]

I bought a 2006 STS-V in Parma, Ohio in 2008 for $35k and drove it home to Calgary, Canada. It was an amazing car.

[@gloopytunes1346]

Love the STS-V! I had a 09 STS-V as a daily driver for a while and regret getting rid of it every time I’m reminded of it

[@Jag-leaper]

Did the North Star give out?

[@blisterbrain]

The regret you'd have had if you kept it would undoubtedly be greater!

[@icegiant1000]

Nice car. Just checked Autotrader here in 2024... You can get a pretty nice one, with 70k miles, $19k. 470 hp for less than 20k, and less than 100k miles? Yes please.

[@laureanosanchez5265]

Idk man is a northstar engine

[@Jag-leaper]

🚫

[@martinedmonds2285]

By this time they fixed the head gasket issue.​@@laureanosanchez5265

[@joshklaver47]

​@@laureanosanchez5265A set of head studs from Northstar Performance, and they're pretty bulletproof. They haven't had a single blown head gasket with those studs installed.

[@joshklaver47]

The performance is crap for something with that much power. An Infiniti G37 is just as quick while being lighter, cheaper, more fuel efficient, more reliable, better built, and handling better. Even a Lexus GS450h is just as quick, and that's a hybrid V6.

[@justgotohm4775]

Growing up in Savannah, and familiar with Roebling Road, I love seeing all the familiar places they filmed.

[@WthIsThisRightHere]

Nice. I'm up near the Pocono track they loved almost as much. Good times, and long live JD!

[@davidaubin3902]

4:19 John: YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE A FEW STOPS FOR GAS, HOWEVER! LOL

[@juanc5149]

Back in the mid to late 2000, I have fond memories of a middle aged woman and her girlfriend in a Cadillac xts-v, looking at my multi colored 1990 240sx hatch back with wide tires and a can for an exhaust and smirking at it before racing me. Well she got dusted, as my little 1990 hatchback was making around 500 hp and they found the whole thing hilarious.

[@rrd1975]

Were many of these superb Cadillacs built? They were rare back in the day, and I haven't see one in many years. The granddaddy to today's CT5-V Blackwing!

[@tmmurphy]

I have only ever seen one in the wild. It was a shock and that was years ago.

[@PhillyDee215]

Rear end has the same design as my CTS-V3, crazy how a design can last so many years. But on that note this was the 1st Cadillac I wanted, it pushed the V-Series to a whole nother level!

[@johannjohann6523]

It's a properly supercharged engine that runs cooler than a turbo engine, better for performance and longevity. Hand made engine makes this a very special car. The weight keeps it from being a true sports car, it is still a nice combination of luxury, comfort and powerful car. If you can find and afford one get it. Just make sure you have a garage first.

[@RyanEmeryLovesCars]

I didn't know this existed let alone seen one. Really rare

[@mwinner101]

$77k in 2006?! Holy smokes! $$$

[@moonman_8935]

Factor in inflation that is around $120k in today's money.

[@The_Hi_Life]

Best looking caddy ever made IMO.

[@blisterbrain]

I like when they open the hood to show off the engine, and it's nothing but some smooth, moulded plastic. Inspiring!

[@LrulestheworldM8]

Its no wonder ive never seen one of these. Only 2,000 being made for a niche market.

[@MWBenDavis]

It ended up only being 1300 for 2006

[@texan176]

This was at the tail end of Cadillac abandoning the traditional affluent older buyer over age 55 who wanted a boat on wheels with total isolation from the road with soft suspension, over assisted power steering, large button and knob controls, and dead silent interior. The DTS was the last of the breed. At this price it was a hard sell for someone younger who could spend a little more for an M5 or AMG E class. Pretty cool they still took this to production. Think where they could have been if the Northstar had been a bulletproof engine and cars like the Eldorado were known to last to 300K miles.

[@carltonbanks2865]

That power in the old XLR would've really been a Vett killler back then

[@papilgee4evaeva]

That's likely why they limited the XLR-V with this engine to only 443 hp. GM's directive is always "don't outdo the Corvette."

[@Alassio.Garage]

Love it! I wish Cadillac would give cars elegant names like before

[@TrailBlazerSS502]

To this day, this is still the baddest Seville on the street.

[@ruthun]

I had a normal 3.6 CTS. What a beautiful car that was. It got old. I miss it. Wish they were back in South Africa.

[@sketchpv3080]

My buddy was a Master Tech back then and he was doing 2-3 3.6L head jobs a week! Massively high failure-rate on that engine.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for sharing another GM brand video. These are appreciated when they are posted. The trunk was too small.

[@youknowit888-kt4en]

My 08 STS-V has been reliable even with the mods. She is a Coyote and Hellcat Killer! She has me plenty of money 💰

[@anasevi9456]

I love the 2005-2015 era of Cadillac for the performance, and the 1990-2005 era of Cadillac for the luxury. Kinda sad we never got a RWD STS though when they were still lookers.

[@tylercouture216]

2000s vehicles were a riot

[@maineiacman]

The last generation of STS was RWD

[@christophejergales7852]

I wish this came in a manual. My knees are still good.

[@anasevi9456]

@@maineiacman ​ yeah and it wasnt a bad looking car just hardly a stunner. i should have clarified the two generations of Seville STS from the 1990s. They were such gorgeous cars. Pity about those 1990s Northstars though. At least the CT5 is fine looking car these days.

[@TripleKOShorts]

Charger ScatPack performance numbers a decade before Dodge even thought about it! What a Caddy!

[@joshklaver47]

It's just too heavy to be a serious performance vehicle. A 13.5 second quarter mile is crap for something with 470hp. That's barely quicker than an Infiniti G37 with 330hp. Hell, the Lexus GS450h was just as quick with a hybrid V6. It's a lot more effective to improve performance by decreasing weight, but manufacturers keep churning out heavier and heavier vehicles, hoping they can compensate with more power. You can't change the physics of having too much weight.

[@RADGarage]

I had one and you’re right.

[@LaszloGaspar-s3x]

My favorite Cadillac 👍

[@medium95]

This is one of MotorWeek's great reviews. How about Jaguar X-types? from 2001.

[@jorgerodrigogomezflores5711]

With the STS-V and XLR-V, GM had dipped their toes in a market that they’ve never dared to go before, in a market they’ve always wanted to be in, but never had the right product until then, and if they had a bit more faith and given those vehicles a second generation, they could have succeeded.

[@ninjahood]

I wonder how reliable are those supercharged Northstar engines...

[@gloopytunes1346]

Pretty reliable honestly. I daily drive one for 2 years and all it required was basic maintenance. Even my experience isn’t unique though. You can see on forums and ownership reviews all over they’re awesome cars

[@KevLEXodus]

By 2006, they've largely ironed out the issues with the Northstar V8s. This Version is much more reliable.

[@JohnEvans-ct6mz]

Wait, you mean GM worked out all of the issues in something that was a good idea and then dropped it a year or so later?? Come on, that never happens.😉😂

[@EC-ki5wv]

@@JohnEvans-ct6mz planned obsolescence

[@tylercouture216]

​@@JohnEvans-ct6mzliterally GM

[@Dagreatdudeman]

A bit of googling leads me to believe that the STS would eventually become the modern CT5.

[@andyali13]

Here in Canada, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these.

[@rabit818]

Still looks good and performance oriented in 2024

[@pontiacGXPfan]

The forebear to the CT5V Blackwing

[@Mr_57ChargerRT]

@1:51 It's faster than the 06 Dodge Charger SRT8 425hp

[@frankrizzo2724]

Northstar + supercharger = grenade

[@smoketaylor2885]

I wonder how these held up 🤔

[@klowenstein483]

They didn't

[@shmac96]

My parents bought the previous gen and it too was awesome though not by today's standards (and some would argue neither by the standards of the day though as an 8th grader at the time I thought it was cool. Loved the interior and the Bose stereo system was awesome. Sadly it aged badly, was heavy, behind technologically compared to European counterparts of the time and just couldnt gain enough recognition to be seen as a desireable car by the public as there werent many. The leadfeet of both my mother and father didnt help our car any and brought the car to an early grave lol....:(

[@davidbaron6647]

sweet ride the good old days

[@codycrawford2385]

They needed a DTS v at this point lol

[@95mushroom]

They did make the XTS-V don't forget!

[@codycrawford2385]

@ v sport lol, the XTS is HIDEOUS the DTS is different and looked better

[@fordTH7335]

There should've been a DTS-V RWD 😮

[@prosto_potomuwto]

When nobody uses it as a drift car, you know it's probably not a very good car.

[@tedschmitt178]

It’s a shame that Cadillac gave up on chasing the Germans, because they were very close to catching them with this car.

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

2000s car is retro now

[@Darylrb1983]

I want one

[@dudndadn12212]

470hp and o ly 4.8sec to 60

[@TWOxTONE_773]

The Northstar was the downfall of mid 2000s Cadillac.

[@MatthewLauseng]

Anyone that's owned an STS of that era knows they were full of cheap plastics that resulted in squeaks and rattles that shouldn't exist on a $80k car. The Northstar V-8's were innovative but definitely not reliable. MotorWeek always had an apparent bias for American cars despite the fact the German and Japanese sedans were 10 times better in every measurable way.

[@Sapp440]

GM would do anything to chase the Germans except make an attractive interior. Ghastly!

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

Cadidillac

[@2006gtobob]

77 grand in 2006? Holy head gaskets!!!

[@embiggens1]

I'm torn. I love the V series vehicles, but I also kinda feel like they were the beginning of the end of American luxury. I kinda wish we hadn't tried to compete with Germany in this space. You just can't get a big, floaty, numb, isolated luxo barge anymore, and we were damn good at them.

[@DaveAdams222]

I was like "Oh I forgot about this! They put an LS in the STS?" NOPE! Northstar . . . GAH what a sh***y engine.

[@DaveAdams222]

Damn what a sh***y car.

[@fxkraft1037]

KADDLAK

[@paisley2342]

Wasnt the northstar one of the most unreliable plants?

[@jameswhite1319]

Northstar engine is a bad engine

[@toothrestorer6588]

Not this one. The head gasket issues were worked out before they were put in north south installations .

[@82raptor]

It was rubbish when it was new, it was built by idiots and, it is rubbish now! J May.

[@justgotohm4775]

James May, haha, he’s the kinda guy that has soup as a main course.

[@unicornharry7995]

Second, oil my piston first

[@Siviqs]

First

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

I like the front wheel drive STS better. These were more reliable but don't look as good, don't ride as good & have less interior space.